The present invention relates generally to a health supplement. More particularly, the present invention relates to a food supplement bar directed towards individuals with irritable bowel syndrome.
There is a great need for a health supplement that can be applied to a wide range of uses. Over the years, many types of health supplements or products have been used to aid a user in achieving health benefits. However, such health supplements or products are often made from synthetic or otherwise processed ingredients and require complicated procedures during formulation. Even some health supplements derived from natural ingredients, such as egg yolks, require that those eggs be obtained from special sources prior to preparation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,803,035 discloses an anti-diarrheal and method for using the same. However, this method requires that the egg product specifically be obtained from a hyper-immunized avian. This requires additional cost and effort in order to ensure that the egg comes from a hyper-immunized avian and is suitable for use. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,632,461 discloses the use of tropical root crops in effective intervention strategies for treating difficult and complex cases and chronic diseases. However, the resort to the use of tropical roots can be impractical, as well as expensive, for many people.
Over 50,000,000 people in the United States of America are afflicted with some degrees of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) at any given time of any given year. IBS is a problem that affects mainly the bowel, which is also called the large intestine. The bowel is the part of the digestive system that makes and stores waste (i.e., stool or fecal matter). The word syndrome means a group of symptoms. IBS is a syndrome because it can cause several symptoms. For example, IBS causes cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. IBS is not a disease but rather a functional disorder, which means that the bowel does not work as it should. With IBS, the nerves and muscles in the bowel are extra-sensitive. For example, the muscles may contract too much when you eat. These contractions can cause cramping and diarrhea during or shortly after a meal. Or the nerves can be overly sensitive to the stretching of the bowel (because of gas, for example). Cramping or pain can result. IBS afflicts the young and the old, both men and women. People can become afflicted with IBS in different ways. For some people, IBS can result from a parasitic infection. IBS has no cure, but people have done various things to relieve symptoms including, but not limited to dietary changes, medicine, and stress relief.
Some foods make IBS worse (e.g., fatty foods like french fries, milk products like cheese or ice cream, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine (found in coffee and some sodas), carbonated drinks like soda or the like) while some foods make IBS better (e.g., Fiber). Fiber reduces IBS symptoms, especially constipation, because fiber makes stool soft, bulky, and easier to pass. Fiber is found in bran, bread, cereal, beans, fruit, and vegetables. Medicine is also used to help with symptoms (e.g., laxatives to treat constipation, antispasmodics to slow contractions in the bowel (which helps with diarrhea and pain) or the like). While so-called miracle drugs, such as Xifaxin (Rifaximan), have been developed to combat IBS, not every person is able to obtain the drug (due to he or she lacking health insurance or the ability to afford the drug) nor is every person able to take the drug without enduring harmful or discomforting side-effects.
While methods of preparing ingredients for use as a health supplement, such as the ones described above, may provide a heath supplement for use in a variety of applications, such methods and the types of ingredients used can always be improved to simplify the process of making such supplements.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simplified method of making a pecan-derived health supplement. There is a further need for a pecan-derived health supplement where the pecans do not have to come from any special source. There is also a need for a food supplement bar to be consumed by individuals suffering from IBS to alleviate the symptoms of IBS. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.